Disconnect’s privacy and security software named one of the top 100 innovations of 2013

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Disconnect (https://disconnect.me/), the leading developer of consumer privacy software, announced today that the Disconnect browser extension is the recipient of Popular Science’s prestigious 2013 Best of What’s New award.

Now in its 26th year, the award is given annually to the year’s 100 most remarkable innovations in 12 categories including software, engineering, and hardware. The Disconnect extension, which is available for the Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera browsers, was recognized in the software category for allowing users to visualize and block the otherwise invisible websites that track their search and browsing history. The extension filters over 2,000 third-party tracking and malware sites, encrypts the data users share with popular sites, and makes pages load 27 percent faster and use 17 percent less bandwidth on average.

According to Popular Science executive editor Cliff Ransom, “The Best of What’s New Awards is our magazine’s top honor, and the 100 awardees are selected from a pool of thousands. Each winner is handpicked and revolutionary in its own way. Whether they're poised to change the world or simply your living room, the Best of What's New awardees challenge us to the see the future in a new light.”

Disconnect was founded by Brian Kennish, a former Google engineer, and Casey Oppenheim, a consumer-rights attorney, to help people use the web on their terms by understanding and controlling their online data. Disconnect’s pay-what-you-want products also include Disconnect Kids, which is the first and only iOS app that stops data about users’ browsing and app activity from ever leaving their iPhone or iPad, and Disconnect Search, which lets users search privately using their favorite search engine including Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

“We’re creating software that works on behalf of everyday users who are looking for an easy way to have a more private, secure Internet experience without spending hours a day fiddling with their devices,” said Kennish.

Oppenheim added, “Following recent revelations about secret digital surveillance, privacy concerns are at an all-time high and our mission to help people understand and control their data has never been more important. We’re honored to have our work acknowledged as one of the year’s best innovations by Popular Science.”

Disconnect is a certified B Corp that was founded on a basic principle: that people should have the freedom to move about the Internet -- and their lives -- without anyone else looking over their shoulder. Disconnect’s top-rated apps stop tracking by third parties and search engines and are used by more than 1.5 million people every week. Visit Disconnect on the web at https://disconnect.me/.